Big second period puts Ducks within striking distance in Game 5

Will Lester / Staff Photographer
Ducks goalie John Gibson, left, is congratulated by, second from left, Teemu Selanne, Ben Lovejoy, second from right, and Francois Beauchemin following Monday's 4-3 victory over the Kings at Honda Center.

Devante Smith-Pelly scored on a deflected shot in the opening minutes of the second period Monday night. He scored again on a beauty of a backhander on a breakaway moments later. Jakob Silfverberg then slammed a rebound into the back of the net later still.

The Ducks turned the Honda Center electric with a stunning display of offensive hockey to start the middle period of what became a 4-3 victory in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series against the sloppy and inconsistent Kings.

The Kings rallied, but the damage was done. Their frantic play merely enabled them to turn a 4-1 deficit midway through the second period into a 4-3 defeat by game’s end. That was as close as they could get as they lost their third in a row after winning the first two games of the series.

“You can’t get behind, you can’t dig yourself a hole against a team like this,” said Kings defenseman Alec Martinez, whose atrocious giveaway led to the second of Smith-Pelly’s goals. “We gave up too many chances and they capitalized.”

Now, the Ducks can eliminate the Kings with a victory in Game 6 on Wednesday at Staples Center. It remains to be seen if the Ducks can drive a stake through the Kings’ hearts, something the San Jose Sharks could not do while coughing up a 3-0 series lead in the first round.

“I’ve got to believe they think they were robbed again tonight,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said of the Kings. “They’ll be ready again Wednesday, that’s all I know. To win four games against this team is going to be the toughest job this team will ever face.”

Smith-Pelly, 21; Silfverberg, 23; defenseman Sami Vatanen, 22; and goaltender John Gibson, 20, handled all the pressure the Kings could throw at them in the closing minutes of Game 5. The Ducks’ youngsters emerged unscathed.

“We knew they were going to come,” said Gibson, who made 39 saves in his second playoff start in place of Jonas Hiller. “We knew they were capable of coming back. It’s happened before in this series, so we knew what to expect. We found a way to get the job done and got a win.”

Trailing 4-1 and looking as if the series had passed them by, the Kings found a spark in the form of a power-play goal from Marian Gaborik in the closing moments of the second period. Gaborik scored again at 14:12 of the third period, cutting the Ducks’ lead to 4-3.

Suddenly, the Kings’ many shortcomings during a disastrous second period didn’t seem to have harmed them. There was time for a comeback and to pull out another victory, as they did when Gaborik scored late in the third period and again in overtime to win Game 1.

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There would be no comeback this time, however. Gibson was every bit as unfazed as he was during a 2-0 shutout Saturday night in Game 4 at Staples Center, when the Kings attacked in relentless fashion in the second and third periods.

Vatanen played a steady game over the course of 20:48, second on the Ducks to only veteran defenseman Francois Beauchemin, who played 22:34. Smith-Pelly and Silfverberg joined their teammates in playing a strong defensive game the rest of the way.

“Awesome,” 43-year-old right wing Teemu Selanne said of the kids. “They put ‘Devo’ in the first line and he answered the bell. Great to see that confidence. It’s fun to watch. ‘Gibby,’ he has all the tools. It’s fun to see the young guys. I’m so impressed. It’s amazing.”

Said Smith-Pelly, who recorded his second two-goal game of the playoffs and moved into the team lead in the postseason with five. “I’m trying to create energy. We’re just having a lot of fun. It’s fun to play in the playoffs. This is what you dream about when you grow up.”